Polio awareness campaign on Etihad Airways flights to Pakistan

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is supporting a campaign to raise awareness of the polio virus and vaccination efforts in the Pakistani community.

Through
a short inflight video, to be shown prior to arrival on all Etihad Airways’ flights
into Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar and Karachi, the campaign aims to make
Pakistanis aware of the potential risk of the polio virus for them and their
families. Pakistan is one of the few countries where the disease remains
endemic.

The
inflight program, “Leap of Faith”, will raise awareness of this crippling and
potentially fatal disease to the many thousands of Pakistani workers returning
home or visiting their families.

The
vaccination campaign, which aims to reach over 3.5 million children in
Pakistan, was launched by the UAE Pakistan Assistance Program under the
directive of UAE President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and as part of an initiative of His Highness
General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and
Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

This
comes after His
Highness General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan pledged a donation of
AED440 million in April 2014, to support global efforts to eradicate polio by
2018.

James
Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, said: “By
showing this engaging story onboard our flights, Etihad Airways is supporting
the efforts of the UAE in helping to eradicate polio in Pakistan.”

Asif
Durrani, Pakistan Ambassador to the UAE, said “With approximately 1.25 million
expatriate Pakistanis in the UAE, this is a perfect opportunity to educate our
people during their journey home and ultimately help in the overall eradication
of this terrible disease in our country.”

The inflight program produced by Image Nation Abu Dhabi, a subsidiary of
Abu Dhabi Media, will be aired on all Etihad Airways’ flights to Pakistan for
July and August 2014. The airline currently operates 37 flights per week
between Abu Dhabi and the Pakistani cities of Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar and
Karachi.